Jerome Gambit: An Early Inspiration?

I received an email from chessfriend Yury V. Bukayev, pointing me toward the chessgames.com site, and its "Game of the Day",Samuel Rosenthal vs Count Isourard, 1871: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.O-O gxf3 6.Qxf3 Qf6 7.e5 Qxe5 8.Bxf7 +Kxf7 9.d4 Qf6 10.Bxf4 Bg7 11.Qh5+ Qg6 12.Bd6+ Ke8 13.Qe5+ Qe6 14.Qxg7 Qxd6 15.Rae1+ Qe7 16.Qf8# 

It certainly got me thinking.

In earlier posts to my blog, I have looked at games or analysis that may have inspired Alonzo Wheeler Jerome to produce "his" opening. As today's chessgames.com "Game of the Day" has Samuel Rosenthal as White, I looked at some of his games.

Interesting is Rosenthal - Robert, simultaneous exhibition, Paris, 1874: 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 5.Kxf2 Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4+ 7.g3 Qf6+ 8.Kg2 Ng6 9.Bc4 Qd8 10.Rf1 f6 11.e5 b5 12.Nxb5 Bb7+ 13.Kg1 d6 14.exd6 cxd6 15.Qh5 Qe7 16.Bf4 O-O-O 17.Rae1 Qf8 18.Be6+ Kb8 and White announced mate in three moves (19.Qc5, etc.) 1-0

There is also Rosenthal - Dermenon, simultaneous exhibition, Paris, 1874: 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 5.Kxf2 Nxe5 6.d4 Ng6 7.Bc4 d6 8.Rf1 N8e7 9.Kg1 O-O 10.Qh5 c6 11.Bg5 b5 12.Bb3 a5 13.a3 Ra7 14.d5 Qb6+ 15.Kh1 c5 16.a4 c4 17.Ba2 f6 18.Bd2 bxa4 19.Bxc4 Ne5 20.Be2 Bd7 21.Nxa4 Qd4 22.Bc3 Qxe4 23.Bf3 Nxf3 24.Qxf3 Qxc2 25.Nb6 Bb5 26.Rf2 Qg6 27.Re1 Nc8 28.Nxc8 Rxc8 29.Qe3 Qf7 30.Qb6 Ba6 31.Qxd6 a4 32.Rf3 Bb5 33.Re6 Bd7 34.Rexf6 gxf6 35.Rg3+ Kh8 36.Qxf6+1-0

Both Rosenthal games were played at the same simultaneous exhibition. Club players playing Black and sacrificing against the master? What was going on?

Well, earlier, in 1870 there was the following game, the earliest example that I have found, yet, of Black's Bishop sacrifice on f2: Louis Paulsen vs Anderssen, Baden Baden 1870: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 5.Kxf2 Nxe5 6.d4 Qf6+ 7.Kg1 Ng4 8.Qd2 Ne7 9.h3 Nh6 10.Qf2 Qg6 11.Nb 5O-O 12.Nxc7 Rb8 13.Nb5 f5 14.e5 d5 15.exd6 Nd5 16.Bc4 Be6 17.Nc7 Nxc7 18.dxc7 Rbc8 19.Bxe6+ Qxe6 20.Bf4 Nf7 21.Kh2 Qb6 22.Rhe1 g5 23.Be5 Nxe5 24.Rxe5 Qxc7 25.c3 g4 26.hxg4 fxg4 27.Qh4 Kh8 28.Kg1 Qb6 29.Rae1 Qxb2 30.Re7 Qc2 31.R1e4 Qc1+ 32.Kh2 h6 33.Re3 Rc6 34.Qxg4 Rg8 35.Re8 1-0

It turns out that, later, Capablanca faced the Bishop sacrifice three times, winning twice and drawing once. Alekhine faced it at least twice, in different simuls, winning both. (Amusingly enough, I faced the move, too, 40 years ago - first my opponent checked my rating, and, having learned it, decided to sacrifice the Bishop. He lost in 44 moves: "Jerome Gambit: More at the Table" https://jeromegambit.blogspot.com/search?q=Chesbrough )

There is also 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Bxf2+ that first appeared (as far as I have found) in Cooke, W. - Charlick, H., Adelaide Chess Club, 1884: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 4.Kxf2 Qh4+ 5.g3 Qxe4 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.Qe2 d5 8.Qxe4+ dxe4 9.Nd4 O-O 10.Bg2 Ng4+ 11.Ke2 f5 12.h3 Ne5 13.d3 c5 14.Nb5 Nbc6 15.dxe4 a6 16.Nc7 Nd4+ 17.Kd2 Ra7 18.Na3 b5 19.c3 Ndc6 20.Nd5 fxe4 21.Ke3 b4 22.Nc2 Nc4+ 23.Kxe4 Rb7 24.Nce3 0-1

There is also 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 3.Na4 Bxf2+, from Hamppe - Meitner Vienna Club, 1872 - see "Godfather of the Jerome Gambit? (Part I)" and later Steinitz,W - Steinkuehler,G, simultaneous exhibition, Great Britain, 1874  "Godfather of the Jerome Gambit?(Part II)"

In responding to Yury, I just created today's blog post...

Jerome Gambit: Another Snipe Hunt

 

I have a tendency to wander the internet, sometimes finding interesting - but incomplete - tidbits of Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) information that tend to drive me to distraction looking for something that often doesn't exist.

For example, at a Reddit chess site the other day I ran into a very innocent question

Just curious but has the Vienna been played in world championship matches in recent years?

A response

In a world championship - only in the FIDE knockout era. There was also a Vienna transposing to some kind of reverse Jerome Gambit in the Bishop's in a blitz tie-break in 2004.

Other than that, highest up in the WC cycle was 1994 Candidates bracket match between Adams and Anand (one game), and Short played in relentlessly against Speelman in 1991 Candidates bracket match. 

In a World Championship proper, only 3 games: Alekhine-Euwe 1935, game 27, Chigorin-Steinitz 1892, game 21 and Steinitz-Zukertort, game 20.

Did you catch that? "[S]ome kind of reverse Jerome Gambit in the Bishop's in a blitz tie-break in 2004"?

Looking at ChessBase's Big Database 2016 I could not find a Bishop's Opening (C23 - C24) from 2004 that featured ...Bxf2+.

I did find a couple dozen Vienna / Three Knights games that started 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Nxe5 Bxf2+ - shades of  Kennedy - Chesbrough, Columbus, 1985 (1-0, 44) - but nothing from a FIDE knockout tournament in 2004.

Of course, I posted a request to see the game, but I have no idea if that will be successful.

Jerome Gambit: More At the Table

Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Stafford Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6 4.Nxc6 dxc6). Chiodini's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Nc6).

With all this recent discussion, I suddenly remembered that I had played a relevant game - over 35 years ago, when I was still playing in over-the-board tournaments. I found the score sheet in an old scrap book. 

Kennedy, Rick - Chesbrough, Don

35/60 15/20 Park of Roses Quad, Columbus, 1985

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 

Headed for the Four Knights Game. I had actually studied the opening, but I think my opponent, rated over 100 points higher than me, figured I was a beginner simply following the rule of "Knights before Bishops".

3...Bc5

He probably should have paid more attention to his own opening moves, as now 4.Nxe5 Nxe5 5.d4 Bd6 6.dxe5 Bxe5 7.f4 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 d6 would give White an edge (two Bishops). 

4.Nxe5 

At this point my opponent looked at my score sheet and read my rating. Satisfied, he played 

4...Bxf2+ 

I wish I could say that this is the game that got me interested in the Jerome Gambit, but it actually was played 3 years before The Marshall Gambit in the French and Sicilian Defenses, which I wrote with Riley Sheffield, so my mind was elsewhere.

It is fair to point out that in searching the stacks of The Ohio State University's William Oxley Thompson library for information on 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 c5 / 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 d5, I may have first stumbled over John Lutes' analysis of the Jerome Gambit in OSU's chess club's weekly newsletter, "The Phalanx".

5.Kxf2 Nxe5 6.d4 Ng6 7.Bc4 c6 

At this point you could argue that I have overcome the surprise of the Bishop sacrifice.

8.Qf3 Qf6

Black should have followed through with his original idea of 8...d5

9.Qxf6 Nxf6 10.e5 Ng4+ 11.Kg3 h5 

12.h3 

Simply hoping to chase the Knight away, perhaps 12...Nh6 13.Bxh6 Rxh6 14.Ne4 with pressure on d6, and maybe even a pawn after 14...d5 15.exd e.p.

Stockfish 14.1 and Komodo 12 suggest, instead, 12.Bd3, but their recommended lines are far too subtle for me to understand.

12...N4xe5 

Taking care of the enemy pawn center for good. The computers don't like the move, but in club play, when you outrank your opponent, it is a reasonable idea.

For the record, Stockfish 14.1 recommends 12...h4+ 13.Kxg4 d5+ 14.Kf3 dxc4 15. Ne4 O-O with a roughly balanced game.

13.dxe5 h4+ 14.Kh2 Nxe5 

The position somewhat resembles a reversed Jerome Gambit, where Black has two extra pawns for his sacrificed piece. 

15.Re1 f6 16. Bf4 d6 17. Rad1 Ke7 

My opponent was confident that he could still make a game of it. What follows is some interesting pawn play.

18.Rd2 g5 19.Bxe5 dxe5 20.Ne4 g4 21.Red1 g3+ 22.Kg1 b5 23.Bb3 a5 24.a3 a4 25.Ba2 f5 26.Nd6 

So far, the pawns have not inflicted any damage.

26...Rd8 

I think my opponent was aiming toward an ending where his playing with the pawns would be easier than my playing with the extra piece. In many club games, I have seen this to be true. In this particular game, however, I was happy to keep exchanging pieces.  

27.Nxc8+ Raxc8 28.Rxd8 Rxd8 29.Rxd8 Kxd8 30.Be6 f4 31.Bf5 Ke7 

White's play is straightforward: the Bishop controls the pawns until the King arrives to start capturing material.

32.Kf1 Kd6 33.Ke2 Kd5 34.Kd3 Kc5 35.Be4 Kd6 36.Bf3 c5 37.c3 Ke6 38.Ke4 

38...c4 39.Bg4+ Kd6 40. Kf5 Kd5 41.Bf3+ Kd6 42. Kf6 

Now the pawns start falling.

42...e4 43.Bxe4 f3 

One last try. Maybe White will play 44.gxf3?

44.Bxf3 Black resigned

White's King can win the Kingside pawns, or his Bishop can win the Queenside pawns.